Simulation of anisotropic chemical etching of crystalline silicon using a cellular automata model

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Abstract

Anisotropic chemical etching of crystalline silicon in aqueous KOH is simulated at the atomic level using a cellular automata model. Experimental etch-rate ratios as well as the influence of temperature and concentration of the etchant are taken into account by introducing a stochastic component. With the help of two examples, the underetching of a convex mask corner and mask-corner compensation for mesa-type corners, the capabilities of this model are demonstrated.

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